React is, first and foremost, a library for creating reusable components. But until React Storybook came along, reusability of components between applications was very limited. While a library of common components could be created, it was very difficult to use, as there was no useful way of documenting it.

Yes, documenting the common components via a Readme file is possible, even useful. But a component is, in its essence, something visual. A Readme file just doesn’t cut it, neither for a developer and definitely not for a designer that wants to browse a library of shared components and choose the one that fits their purpose.

This limited the usefulness of React’s component reusability.

And then React Storybook came along. React Storybook has changed the way many companies approach React by allowing them to create a library of components that can be visually browsed so as to be able to pick and choose the component they want:

The browser wars of the late 90s carried over into the early 2000s, and while web standards have helped align how these browsers render front-end code, there are still dozens of versions of the five major browsers (Edge has joined the crew!), all with their own understanding of how the web should look and act. Add to that the fact most digital properties ship with many templates, each with their own way of displaying content, and those templates in turn may run on dozens or hundreds of websites, and you’re left wondering if this internet thing is really worth it.